Challenge Destiny: By Air
by ananova
Summary: Written for Challenge Destiny's By Air prompts. The tale of the events immediately after Kagome's return to the Feudal Era.
1. A Moonlit Walk

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

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><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: A Moonlit Walk

By Air #1 Moonlight

Author: ananova

Rating: K

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 238

Summary: The night of Kagome's return to the Feudal Era Inuyasha asks her to walk with him.

Warnings: None

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><p>Inuyasha watched Kagome as she laughed with Sango, teased Miroku about his girls, and was shooed away by Kaede when she offered to help clean the dishes. He still had trouble believing that this wasn't a dream, that she was really here. Suddenly she looked up and their eyes locked together, everything else fading away.<p>

He stood from where he was leaning against the wall. "Can I talk to you?" She nodded and he gestured to the door. "Not here, walk with me."

Kagome waved at the others before following Inuyasha outside. They walked together, side by side, the moonlight illuminating the night. Still, neither spoke for a long time, simply enjoying the silence and the presence of one another as they walked further and further from the village. Kagome glanced at her companion and her breath caught in her throat as she saw him in the light of the full moon. He was so beautiful, his silver hair shining in the moonlight and his golden eyes seemed to glow as he looked at her.

And just as she was drinking in his form, he also gazed at her. Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight and her ebony hair was shining as it reflected the moonlight. He found himself unable to look away from her enticing form.

And so the two continued to walk in silence, attention firmly focused on the person next to them.


	2. A Familiar Warmth

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

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><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: A Familiar Warmth

By Air #2 Chill

Author: ananova

Rating: K

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 249

Summary: Nights can get chilly but Inuyasha is always prepared.

Warnings: None

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><p>They were still walking, the village far behind them now. Despite basking in Inuyasha's presence and the feelings he stirs within her, Kagome can not help but notice that the night is cool. Unconsciously she begins to rub at her arms, the chill in the night seeping into her body.<p>

Inuyasha frowned as he noticed her rubbing at her arms. That outfit she wore was better than her old uniform but it still was no real protection from the elements. Not like his fire-rat clothing. He silently shrugged out of his haori, draping it over the unaware miko.

Kagome was lost in thought when she felt a sudden, yet familiar warmth surround her. She raised her head to see the red of Inuyasha's haori enveloping her. She turned to face Inuyasha, smiling brightly. "Thanks." While the haori provided her the warmth necessary to fight off the chill of the night, it was his presence that fought the chill in her heart. Somehow, she knew that he realized that as well.

"Keh," was all he said but he continued to stare at her before stopping.

Kagome looked around to see that they are at the top of a hill before turning her attention back to Inuyasha. She is taken aback by the intense look on his face as he stared into her eyes and her heart began to pound in her chest as she wondered why he was staring at her like that. What was on his mind?


	3. Intensity

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

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><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: Intensity

By Air #3 Shiver

Author: ananova

Rating: K

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 188

Summary: A shiver runs down Kagome's spine but is it from the cold or something else?

Warnings: None

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><p>Kagome could not help but shiver as she continued to stare into Inuyasha's intense golden eyes. This shiver had nothing to do with the cold but the raw emotion she could see buried in his eyes. Still, she clutched the haori tighter to herself, seeking comfort as she tried to understand what she had glimpsed.<p>

Inuyasha noticed her shiver but mistook it as a sign that the night air was still getting to her. He reached out and pulled her to himself before dropping to sit cross-legged on the ground, Kagome carefully cradled against his chest in his lap. He breathed deeply, enjoying the feel of her pressed so closely against him, the way her scent surrounded him. He never wanted to let her go.

Kagome blinked at his actions, the change from standing to sitting in Inuyasha's lap had been so fast. Still, she wasn't about to complain and snuggled further into his embrace, content to stay that way for as long as he would allow her. All thoughts of the reason for their walk were forgotten as she resolved to enjoy the experience and the company.


	4. Shooting Star

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

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><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: Shooting Star

By Air #4 Stargazing

Author: ananova

Rating: K

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 240

Summary: An amazing view of the stars helps Inuyasha decide what to say.

Warnings: None

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><p>Kagome was content to simply remain in Inuyasha's lap, his arms wrapped securely around her, for the rest of the night. A flash of light caught her eye and she shifted her head slightly. She hadn't realized it before but the hill they were situated atop of gave them a breathtaking view of the stars. It was the perfect place to stargaze, as if they were floating among the stars themselves. With Inuyasha at her side and the amazing view in front of them, she would have been happy to remain as they were for all of eternity.<p>

There was another flash of light and she realized what had drawn her attention. "Look Inuyasha!" she pointed. "A shooting star!"

Inuyasha raised his own head from where he had been watching the look of awe and wonder cross her face to gaze where her finger was pointing. Sure enough a light was streaking across the sky. "Keh."

Kagome turned slightly in his embrace so that she could grin at him. "Well go on, make a wish," she urged him playfully.

Inuyasha stiffened at her words. Make a wish? For what? What did he need to make a wish for when he had everything he had ever wanted, ever needed, right here in his arms? He saw the look of confusion cross her face and finally found the words he had been searching for since leaving Kaede's hut.


	5. A Gentle Touch

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

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><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: A Gentle Touch

By Air #5 Caress

Author: ananova

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 197

Summary: Inuyasha explains his reaction.

Warnings: None.

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><p>Inuyasha watched as Kagome bit her lip nervously, confusion over his reaction to her playful words written all over her face. Slowly, he reached out a hand and cupped her face, gently caressing her cheek. He breathed a small sigh of relief when she leaned into his touch as he gently wiped the frown from her face.<p>

Kagome leaned into his hand, eyes briefly closing as she enjoyed the gentle touch before snapping open to lock onto his own golden orbs. She was still confused about his reaction to her playful teasing but that confusion was quickly swept away by the intense emotions that his gaze invoked in her. She couldn't tear her gaze away if she wanted to, and she never wanted to.

Inuyasha continued to stare into her eyes before he began to speak, still maintaining eye contact. "Why would I make a wish? I have everything I want. My wish has already come true." He caressed her cheek again, subtly explaining his words.

Kagome's breath caught as his meaning became clear. "Inuyasha?" she asked softly.

Slowly he leaned forward and their lips met in a gentle but brief caress of their own.


	6. Softly

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

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><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: Softly

By Air #6 Whisper

Author: ananova

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 218

Summary: An important question.

Warnings: None

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><p>The kiss was over all too soon. Inuyasha pulled back and stared into her shocked but happy face. His own face softened in response to the look he saw there. "Kagome," he started, his voice as soft and low as a whisper. "Why did you come back?" He thought he knew, hoped but he needed to hear her say it. Only then would he finally have the courage to say what needed to be said.<p>

Kagome blinked at him, his question causing her to frown. "What do you mean? Don't you know?"

Voice still a whisper he said "Yes, but I need you to say it. Please."

Something in his words, in his voice, convinced her. Her voice was just as soft as his when she answered. "I just couldn't stay away any longer. I wanted, no, I **needed** to see you, to **be with** you." Saying the words was freeing, she felt lighter and she could see that the words had had a similar effect on Inuyasha. She watched as his face lit up at her words, then his arms tightened around her, pulling her closer against his chest as he held her tightly against himself. It felt as if he never wanted to release her, and she didn't want him to.


	7. Stay With Me?

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

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><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: Stay With Me?

By Air #7 Infinity

Author: ananova

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 211

Summary: A confession of love and another important question. (Infinity meaning forever or eternity)

Warnings: None

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><p>They remained like that for several long moments, time having lost its meaning to them as they lost themselves in one another. Finally, Inuyasha pulled back to look at her face. She had answered his question, now he needed to say something that should have been said a long time ago.<p>

"Kagome." He gazed into her eyes once more. He could see that she was taken aback by the intensity of his gaze. But he could also see what appeared to be hope in her eyes and heard the nervous pounding of her heart. "I love you." And suddenly the words didn't seem so hard to say.

Kagome thought her heart would burst out of her chest, she was elated, had never felt so happy. "I love you too," she managed to say as tears of joy began to leak out of her eyes.

"Will you stay with me? Forever? Be my wife, my mate? Just be mine? I need you with me. I need you with me always, but only if that is what you want. I want you to share my lifetime with me, if you are willing. Will you be mine until the end of time?" He held his breath, waiting for her answer.


	8. Crushed

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

* * *

><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: Crushed

By Air #8 Suffocation

Author: ananova

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 194

Summary: Inuyasha waits for Kagome's answer and misunderstands her silence and tears.

Warnings: None

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><p>Inuyasha waited for her answer. But with every moment that passed he found it harder to breathe. He could hear the pounding of her heart and smell and see her tears. Had he misunderstood? Had she not meant it the way he did? Had he gone too far, pushed her too far? He had caused her pain, why else would she be crying?<p>

And still she remained silent. He couldn't breathe, couldn't draw any air into his body. His heart felt crushed within his chest. He turned his head away, eyes closing in pain as he struggled to draw breath into his body. He had pushed her too far, too fast and now he would lose her completely.

Gentle hands suddenly grasped his face, turning it back. His eyes opened to see her gazing at him with love in her beautiful eyes, tears still streaming down her face. His eyes widened as she spoke, first in confusion then in understanding. Staring at her he suddenly didn't feel so crushed. He could breathe once more. She repeated her answer, a bright and happy smile on her face, and his heart leaped for joy.

"Yes."


	9. Crashing Back to Reality

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

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><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: Crashing Back to Reality

By Air #9 Crash Landing

Author: ananova

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 188

Summary: Kagome realizes that her silence was taken the wrong way and hurries to fix it.

Warnings: None

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><p>Kagome's heart continued to pound in her chest as his question repeated over and over in her mind. The intensity of his gaze combined with his words made her feel like she would suffocate. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. She could only feel. She was overwhelmed by happiness. All of her hopes and wishes were coming true. Tears flowed freely down her face and she lifted her face to answer only to come crashing down as she saw the look on his face.<p>

Kagome could only stare in shock at the pained look on his face and she realized that he had misunderstood her silence and tears. She quickly recovered from her crash landing back to reality and reached out, grasping his face and tilting it so he met her gaze. "Yes," she blurted out hastily, wanting to quickly correct her mistake and clear up his misunderstanding. She would do anything to wipe that look off of his face. "Yes," she said again and watched as first confusion, then understanding and finally hope and elation crossed his face. She smiled at him, conveying her own happiness.


	10. To Soar Through the Air Once More

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

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><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: To Soar Through the Air Once More

By Air #10 Fly Away With Me

Author: ananova

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 261

Summary: Elated by Kagome's answer, Inuyasha takes off on a run through the treetops.

Warnings: None

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><p>Inuyasha continued to stare at her. "Yes?" he asked, slightly disbelieving.<p>

Kagome nodded her head, before reaching out and embracing him. "Yes," she repeated again.

"Yes!" He stood suddenly, bringing her with him and lifting her into the air before twirling her around, her delighted laughter filling his ears. He stopped as quickly as he had started spinning, and gently set her down before turning and offering her his back. "Come on," he said, a grin stretching across his face as she climbed on and adjusted her grip, then he took off, racing towards the forest.

Running as fast as he could he leaped up into the trees, climbing higher and higher until he was racing across the treetops. Kagome laughed as they soared through the air, just the two of them, flying away into the night. She had missed this, this feeling that she always felt when he carried her on his back. It always seemed like they were flying when they traveled like this, especially when it was just the two of them. She decided to just sit back and enjoy the experience, hopefully she would be able to convince Inuyasha to do this again sometime.

A huge grin settled on Inuyasha's face as he heard her laughter. He had always been aware of how much she enjoyed this, almost as much as he did. He always felt better when she was this close to him. So he continued to run, soaring through the air, content to share the experience with the one he loved.


	11. Clouded Over By Doubt

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

* * *

><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: Clouded Over By Doubt

By Air #11 Clouds

Author: ananova

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 293

Summary: Dark thoughts plague Inuyasha. Can Kagome reassure him?

Warnings: None

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><p>But as Inuyasha continued to run several dark thoughts began to nag at him. He tried to shake them off but couldn't. He began to slow then stopped completely, leaping down to the ground and letting Kagome slide down off of his back.<p>

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked as she stared at his back. She moved around to look at his face and was startled to see it clouded over. He was frowning, his good mood completely gone. "What's wrong?"

He sighed before lifting his gaze to her. "Things won't be easy."

"What do you mean?"

He ran a hand through his bangs, brushing them out of his face as he tried to find the words. "Not everyone will be happy for us. There are those that will see us being together as wrong and they will try to tear us apart. They will say things, do things." He sighed again in frustration, wondering if he really had the right to subject her to that. "I don't want to see you hurt."

Kagome shook her head. "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I don't care what anybody else says. I won't allow anyone to tear us apart. The only way I could be hurt is if you abandon me. I trust you to protect me from anything else. You and I, we were meant to be together. As long as we are together we can face anything." She smiled at him and saw that her words had reached him.

Inuyasha could feel the truth in her words. After all, when Kagome was with him he was stronger, feeling like he could do anything. He returned her smile, the last of the dark clouds disappearing from his face.


	12. Happily Ever After

Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha and all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I don't own them and am not making any money from this.

* * *

><p>Written for Challenge Destiny: By Air. Originally posted August 27, 2011.<p>

Title: Happily Ever After

By Air #12 Whirlwind

Author: ananova

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

Universe: Post Canon

Word Count: 271

Summary: Inuyasha contemplates as his wedding approaches.

Warnings: None

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><p>Inuyasha watched the whirlwind of activity from his perch on Kaede's roof. He could only stare in disbelief as the whole village prepared for his wedding to Kagome. When they had returned to their friends and announced their intentions to marry their friends had been happy for them. He had expected that. What he hadn't expected was for the whole village to be so ecstatic about it. Sure there were one or two that had a problem but most of the villagers were genuinely happy for them and had insisted on making their wedding an event to remember. So here he sat, watching in slight disbelief all of the work that was being done for his and Kagome's sakes.<p>

But while touched by their willingness, not to mention eagerness, to help, he couldn't help but wonder if all of this was truly necessary. He had thought they would have a simple ceremony, presided over by Kaede but the villagers had insisted that wasn't good enough, and thus had begun the whirlwind of activity he now watched.

A while later Inuyasha found himself standing with Kagome in the shrine, Kaede and Miroku before them. He stared at Kagome, she had never looked more beautiful. She was beaming, radiating joy and happiness. He couldn't help but to smile as he reached for her hand. It looked like he owed the villagers his thanks, those things that they had insisted on no longer seemed unnecessary as he took in Kagome's obvious happiness. All he could think as she gently squeezed his hand was that Kagome was at his side and everything would be alright.


End file.
